Garmin to Wahoo and back-Wahoo is a bust

A Journey from Garmin to Wahoo

Let’s do the wayback machine. Back in the olden days, simply used a wired or wireless bike computer like the Cateye. A few years ago I opted for a Garmin GPS unit. I don’t recall the model but it worked great for about 1–1/2 years. Then it started to go wonky. I would notice this on mountain bike rides and races. I’d look down at some point and find out the screen was blank and the unit had shut off! I’d turn it back on and the same thing would happen later. Some research as well as opening it up and I found what I considered a design flaw. The Garmin had some bent metal prongs which connected the power source (battery) to the PCB via touching on pads on the PCB. This was NOT a hard solid connection- just contact connection- and especially on mountain bike rides, hitting bumps would cause the prongs to disconnect from the pads they were touching, effictively shutting the unit off.

I eventually threw this unit in the trash and went back to Cateye wireless, but later opted for Garmin again- the Garmin Edge 200. Small, reliable, basic. I lost one, bought another, found the first and had two for the last few years.

I did not consider upgrading until discussing the possibility of buying a Wahoo Kicker trainer this fall with Ralf and Joel, I then thought about upgrading. One option was the newer Garmin 510 or 520. But Ralf, Joel and Ronald all had the Wahoo Element or Element Bolt which touted some fantastic features:

Great turn-by-turn from downloaded routes.
Wirelessly connects to your Strava once you save a route and hit the connected wifi.
Accepts heart-rate/power meter via ANT
According to Ralf it will also plot a direct return to your start point from the ride you are on.
It likely has other features which I have not yet been able to explore.

But what clinched it for me was the fact that the Element can also CONTROL your Kicker trainer — essentially you can ride a route already stored in the bike computer and it will increase and decrease trainer effort/resistance if you re-run the route!

Kinda pricey at about $250 but I bought the Element (and subsequently sold both Garmin 200s for $70 each on Ebay).

The Element also connects to your phone. You turn it on and a pairing QR code shows up which enables your phone’s camera via the Wahoo app and you can then control settings on the computer. (One neat setting is auto-pause which I use for training rides. Since I live in the city, numerous stop signs and red lights will stop my riding and the auto-pause stops the computer and automatically resumes the ride once you start riding. This isn’t something to use in a race, of course, but is handy in town). But this connection issue is one of the Element’s flaws IMO. My camera is perhaps not the greatest on my phone and I had difficulty getting it to hold and capture the QR code, but eventually did after 15–20 minutes. (There should be a manual method in which you can key in the computer’s serial number rather than rely on cameras and QR codes, IMO).

I had the unit for a couple of weeks and here’s where complications arose. I accidentally dropped it on the pavement and it mucked up the display screen. It is still functional but some parts are not readable. I conctacted customer service at Wahoo and was told that “due to the design of the unit it is not repairable.” WHAT?! My option was to send them photos of the unit showing damage and the serial number with proof of purchase. They then offered me a 40% “crash” discount to buy a new unit. After some thought, I opted to do this… another $150.

Holland-100 day. Joel, Ralf, Angie and I rolling through Ottawa County at a good pace. Got to the 60 mile mark for pancake breakfast. It had started raining quite steadily so we opted to shorten the ride and head straight back to the start point about eight miles away. As we got on the bikes and started to ride, my Element shut down and all the LEDs began flashing wildly. This was the very first ride with this unit!

I tried to get it to turn back on or shut down the LEDs but nothing. So I figured I must have not charged it fully. I got back home and plugged it in for a day but nothing. So I am back to emailing Wahoo customer support and he asked what I as charging it in. I sent photos of the USB 4-port tower and he said that that may not be appropriate for charging the Wahoo. He indicated I should see the ubiquitous “lightning bolt” when the unit is plugged in to charge along with battery level.

Mind you, these email exchanges are taking place day after day. I email one day, get a responose the next, return my answer the following day- and so on.

Anyway I perform a DOE. I still have the damaged but functional Element so I plug it in several different outlets and receive the lightning bolt in each one. I then plug the newly failed Element into the same outlets and get zero on the screen. I swapped cables too just in case it was a cable.

So now I email Wahoo support with my findings. I explain that while I am not an electrical or electronic engineer I do work as a quality engineer in manufacturing and have spent several years working with electronics modules. I understand that catastrophic failures across a whole product line are rare but that the occasional “infant mortality” can occur in which a unit will pass all testing at the factory but fail very soon in the field. I’ve seen this with Bluetooth units, compasses, and telematics over the last 15 years. I suggest his engineers should really want this unit back for analysis and propose they send me a new unit and I send them this failed on back. They accept. Wahoo support sends me a PDF shipping label. As soon as I shipped it and they received notice that the failed unit was in transit they shipped me the new one which should arrive any day.

So, to Monica’s question which spurred me to write this adventure (I had meant to anyway but had not gotten around to it), how do I like it?

Strengths (so far as I’ve explored all options):
— turn by turn routes, wifi connection, can be set up on phone app, return route plotting, controls the Kicker, and maybe more

Weaknesses:
I can’t believe the option to repair is a new unit, but it is. The QR code can be a pain in the rear but I suspect if you have an IPhone it works like a charm.

All in all I am satisfied with how it works and look forward to trying other features. Customer service is clunky with the back and forth email but they do try to make it right and are responsive.

I also ordered extra bike mounts as I had had for my Garmin. I have four bikes and don’t want to mess around un-mounting the brackets and attaching them to another bike so each bike has a Wahoo bracket.

Shortly after completing this article I went on a ride with some friends and the Wahoo went wonky on me started blinking and going nuts and then cease to work! After arguing with their customer service I ended up getting a partial refund but all-in-all lost about $400 across two units. I have since returned to uing Garmin

Originally published at http://dennisbmurphy.blogspot.com.